A Master's Concern
by Day Dreamer 62
Summary: Archer fell to the floor with a sickening thud. Our opponent stared at me with malice in his eyes. "Archer!" A different look on Round Five in Fate/EXTRA. Archer x Female Protagonist


**DD 62: I've had the idea of this oneshot for a while for a while now. Now, I'm finally doing something about it. This set in Week Five of Fate/EXTRA. Enjoy!**

**NOTE! The canon name for the protagonist is Hakuno Kishinami and that is the name I'll be using.**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Fate/EXTRA or anything else from the franchise. I do own a copy of the game and am a loyal fan.**

**~xXxXx~**

It was the first time I felt the full extent of the fear of dying. My Servant lay unmoving on the floor of the Arena. Our opponent for this round stared menacingly at me as if trying to kill me with his gaze. It took all the self-control I possessed not to tremble in fear before this uncaring killer. He muttered something to his Servant as he turned his back to leave. The presence of the invisible Servant lingered for a moment before following his Master.

Once their presence had faded from the air, I felt my knees give out and slumped to the floor shaking. My breaths were quick and shallow as I tried to calm down and grasp the situation. Archer still remained unmoving but the slow rise and fall of his chest reassured me that he was alive. I crawled to his side and placed a tentative hand on his shoulder. A pained groan escaped his lips.

"Archer?"

His eyes fluttered open and looked up at me. Although he did his best to hide it, I saw pain in his normally steely eyes. He pushed himself into a sitting position wincing from his wound.

"Don't push yourself! You took a bad hit from-!"

"Are you alright Master?"

I gave Archer an incredulous look. "Of course I am."

"Good, it would be unfortunate for us if you were to come to any harm."

"It doesn't help us if you get injured either!"

Archer shrugged off my reply. "I'm you Servant; my job is to be your sword and shield. I will heal given time."

I wasn't convinced. Julius Harway claimed to have sentenced us to certain death. He had said something about his Servant needing 'no second strike'. Although intimidating and terrifying, this gave me something to work from. My knowledge may be limited but the .PH's is not. With luck, I will uncover his Servant's identity and start formulating a strategy to take him down. However, I had to get Archer back to our private room and find a way to heal his wounds.

"We need to leave the Arena."

"There's no need to leave now. We can still-"

"No we can't!" I snapped at him. It wasn't often that I lost my temper especially around Archer but I needed him to understand how dire the situation was. "Your injuries are too serious for us to continue exploring the Arena let alone deal with the enemy programs. We're leaving and that's final!"

Archer stared at me dumbfounded. I could understand his surprise and confusion. Usually I just did whatever he told me to do without any question but since saving Rin Tousaka in the third round I had started doing things my way. I wasn't the same girl who had summoned him back in the prelims; I was my own person now.

"Master…"

"No arguing Archer." I pulled a Return Crystal from my pocket and grasped it firmly. "We're leaving."

No more words passed from Archer's lips. I held the Return Crystal in one hand and reached out to grasp Archer's shoulder in the other. Ignoring his wince and silent sound of protest, I activated the crystal and was transported from the Arena back to campus. The crystal disappeared, erased from existence when we landed in our private room. I still had ahold of Archer's shoulder and directed him to his usual spot. He sat down without protest. His hand was still clasped over his chest where the enemy Servant had hit.

"How are you feeling?"

"I've been in worse situations. Don't worry Master; I still intend to fight during this round."

That wasn't my biggest concern at the moment. It was one of my concerns but Archer's wellbeing trumped it. "I don't care if you want to continue fighting but we need to get you healed up first."

"I will heal given time. Don't stress over it and get some sleep." I hesitated at his suggestion. An aggravated groan emitted from my Servant. "Just go to sleep. I'll be better in the morning."

Rather than argue with him and cause him to lose what little strength he had left in conversation, I did as he asked. I walked over to where I slept and laid myself down. After a few moments of me pretending to sleep, I heard Archer sigh in relief and heard him settle himself down for the night. In no time his breathing was slower but less deep than one who should be sleeping peacefully. I bit my lip in worry and slowly got up. I tiptoed over to my Servant and observed him.

His face was contorted in pain as he slept. The hand that was clasped over his wound had slackened its grip due to sleep. His chest rose and fell reminding me that he was still alive and well, for the time being. I felt a surge of guilt at the sight. If I had been more cautious and wary of my surroundings, we would never have been in that situation. I cursed my inability to do anything right. Archer got stuck with the most helpless Master imaginable.

I shook my head to clear those thoughts from it. Looking back at Archer, I was reminded of how familiar he appeared. When I first summoned him, he had seemed familiar to me, like I knew him from another lifetime. I didn't bring this up in conversation with him as I didn't want him to think I was some kind of psycho or something. My hand stretched out and I tentatively stroked Archer's white hair. He stirred in his sleep making me freeze immediately. He sighed; whether due to his dreams or my actions I couldn't tell. I retracted my hand and hurried over to my spot and attempted to go to sleep once more. Morning would be here sooner than I would like and then I could focus more on helping Archer.

~xXxXx~

I awoke the next morning early. Archer was still sleeping so I left him there and exited our room as quickly and quietly as possible. The lock clicked behind me reassuring me that it would not be opened by any but me. I walked to the window across from the door and stared out it trying to come up with an idea to heal Archer. He claimed he would be fine when I woke up but judging by the fact that he hadn't stirred at all when I left I'm guessing he was lying. So absorbed was I in my thoughts that I did not notice Rin approach me.

"Good morning Hakuno."

"Oh, hey Rin…"

She cocked her head to the side. "What's up with you? You're usually so chipper in the morning. And where's that annoying Servant of yours?"

I paused for a moment. Rin _was _more skilled than me in magic; maybe she knew of a way to heal Archer. I took a deep breath and quickly launched into an explanation. Rin didn't interrupt to ask question but listened until I was finished. Her face was clouded with worry.

"So Archer is still asleep in your room?" At my nod, she asked, "Can I see him?"

"Sure." I motioned to the door directly behind us. We both stepped towards it and I fished out my terminal to unlock the door. The door scanned the device and the lock clicked allowing us to enter. "He hasn't moved since we returned last night."

Archer was where I left him still asleep. Rin stepped closer and eyed his wound. She held her hand just above it and mumbled something to herself. Her eyes closed in concentration. A few moments passed before the reopened and she glanced back to me.

"I see what's going on. Julius's Servant screwed up his magic circuits."

"Is there a way to fix them?" I asked worry lacing my voice.

She nodded reassuringly. "Yes, I know of a way. I need to make some preparations before we go through with this. Meet me on the roof this evening and I'll explain."

I gave her a curt nod and walked her to the door. She gave me a reassuring smile as she stepped out. I did my best to replicate it. Rin chuckled softly at my attempt. I shut the door behind her and sighed. I was so lucky to have a friend like Rin to help me out. With her assistance, Archer would be better in no time. I'm sure of it!

~xXxXx~

I stood outside the entrance to the Arena. My nerves were getting to me as I was about to attempt to enter the Arena alone without the aid or protection of a Servant. I had just placed my hand on the door handle when I felt a familiar presence behind me.

"And just where do you think you're going?" I winced at Archer's tone. I sheepishly glanced over at him. A scowl was on his face as he regarded me. "You aren't planning on entering the Arena without me, are you? That's foolish even for you Master."

Insisting that he stay behind would be a bad idea. He would just follow after me anyway. And if by some miracle I _did _manage to get him to stay, I knew we would never see each other again. I would be as good as dead when I stepped foot in the Arena. I sighed in resignation.

"Fine, you can come." Archer perked up at my words like a child being told that they could do something they previously were forbidden to do. "Stay by my side."

"Always."

I gathered up my courage and resolve then entered the Arena.

My objective was simple enough: find a spot that would be easy for Rin to hack then get the hell out. The only problem was avoiding the ravenous enemy programs that lurked about. I did my best to evade them but couldn't avoid combat all together. Archer had some difficulties with the programs but we generally came out unscathed from the encounters.

"Are we getting close Rin?"

"Yes, there should be a point not too far from you that's perfect." Her voice responded over my terminal. Following her instructions, we had come to a somewhat open area with no enemies about. As I stepped forward, Rin shouted out in glee. "Yes! Right there is perfect! Now, set up the bypass circuit I gave you."

I reached into my pocket and pulled out the black cube she had given me earlier that day. It floated from my hand and made its way to the top of the Arena. I heard Rin mumble a few words before she informed me that it was working and told me to get out quickly. I would have done just that if Julius hadn't appeared.

"What's this? Why is she out and about with her Servant?" He questioned his own Servant feverishly. "Don't tell me you showed them mercy."

"Of course not! Who do you think I am?" His Servant chuckled. "They're obviously more skilled than we thought."

Julius pondered his words. "No matter; they shall not leave here alive."

Panic filled my veins and made my head feel light. Archer gritted his teeth and stepped protectively in front of me ready to fight. In his condition there was no way we could win.

"Hakuno!" Rin's voice shouted. "I'm going to perform a forced extraction! Hang on!"

A white light came from my terminal and enveloped Archer and me. I felt like I was being compressed into a smaller version of myself and forcibly being pulled through a small hole. I was losing consciousness fast. I vaguely heard Rin mutter something before I was out.

"No way; she doesn't have a body?!"

~xXxXx~

My head was spinning as my eyes slowly opened. My first reaction was wondering where the hell I was. The second was wondering what had happened to Archer. I pushed myself up and swung my legs over the bed I had awoken in. A sigh drew my attention to the bed across from me. There sat Rin Tousaka looking at me relief evident on her face.

"How long have I been out?" I asked groggily.

"Since last night when I pulled you from the Arena."

Gradually, the events of the previous evening's excursion came back to me. "Is the bypass circuit working?"

"Yes, everything is in place for me to supply your Servant with mana. There's just one thing left to do before I'm ready." Rin got to her feet and shifted from foot to foot uncomfortably. "Um…c-could you stand up and close your eyes until I say?"

"Is this to help you with the ceremony?"

She nodded. I jumped to my feet and did as she requested. Rin warned me not to open my eyes until told to do so. I stood still and waited. It felt as if Rin was up close and personal to me. A little touch on my lips caught me off guard. I didn't have time to think on it as a slight pain shot through my head and body. I heard Rin sigh and felt her presence pull away from me.

"O-okay! You can open your eyes now."

I did so and stared at the girl. She had a light blush h over her cheeks prompting me to question her.

"Rin, what-?"

"I-I just ran a program to interrupt the contractual bond between you and Archer. Now I can perform the ceremony." She turned her back to me before continuing. "I'll need to go and fetch your Servant to begin immediately. The ceremony will be performed here so please don't interrupt."

"Is there anything I can do to help?"

"I said that I'd take care of everything!" Rin all but shrieked at me. My ears were ringing as she calmed herself. "Just…go poke around in the library or something! I'll call you when I'm done!"

~xXxXx~

It's been several hours since I was unceremoniously kicked out of the nurse's office and sent away like a child sent to the their room. I trudged along the hallway towards the library. It seemed like the safest idea to do as Rin asked. If I tried to intrude, I had a feeling that I would regret it.

The door to the library slid open easily. I absentmindedly waved to the NPC that stood behind the counter. She gave a bright smile in return. I hurried over to the nearest bookshelf and began to scan the titles. It was becoming evident that I had chosen the wrong section to look through. I don' think books on how to cook and bake were going to give me much information on my opponent. I had just slipped from that section and was heading to the martial arts section when someone's voice called out to me.

"Good evening Hakuno."

I spun around and saw Leo accompanied by Gawain standing behind me. Leo wore a friendly enough smile but I sensed he was here for something less than friendly.

"Evening Leo. Did you need me for something? I usually don't see you out and about with the rest of us."

Leo ignored my slightly hostile tone. "I came to give you my farewells."

I blinked. "Sorry, what?"

"You won't survive this round as your opponent is my brother. I wished to say farewell before it was too late."

That uncaring, pampered little brat didn't think I would survive?! How dare he decide my fate! I felt anger fill me and cloud my reasoning. "And who exactly died and let you decide who wins this battle? I stand just as good a chance of winning as Julius does."

The almost king seemed surprised at the venom in my words. Up until this point, I had always been friendly and civil towards Leo. His total disregard for my life had angered me, however, and all formalities had been cast out the window. Gawain shot a glare to me which I ignored. I waited for his Master to respond.

"I see. Please accept my apologies." He gave a slight bow then turned to leave. Gawain glared at me for a little longer before trailing after his Master.

I felt my ego deflate as soon as they were gone. I was an emotional wreck this week. I wasn't all that good at controlling my emotions in the first place but this was getting out of hand! Surely I wasn't like this in real life? If I were then there was no doubt in my mind that I had little to no friends. That was a depressing thought.

My terminal rang startling me. I scrambled to get it and answer. "Hello, Rin?"

"Hey Hakuno." Was it just me or did Rin sound exhausted? "I've finished the ceremony. Meet me on the first floor to pick up your Servant."

The way she worded it made it sound like we were divorced parents handing off their kid for a weekend. A strange analogy but it seemed fitting for the situation. Regardless, I sped from the library and practically flew down the stairs to the first floor. I was out of breath by the time I got there. I glanced up to see Rin and Archer approaching me. The sight of my Servant walking around without any trouble made my heart soar. I jogged over to them.

"How did it go?"

"Everything went fine. Turns out our magical circuits were very compatible." Rin said. Her voice was definitely broadcasting exhaustion. I gave her a worried look.

"Are you okay Rin? You look tired."

"I'll be fine soon enough. For now, I think I'll head to bed."

Archer and I watched her as she trudged back to the nurse's office. I glanced up at the tall man. His face was in its normal uninterested frown and he seemed back to one hundred percent. That was good.

"How are you feeling Archer? You had me worried there for a bit."

He seemed surprised at my words. A slow smirk replaced his shocked look. "I feel fine. In fact, I feel good enough to stomp that man and his Servant out of existence."

"Big talk from someone who just crawled from their grave."

I spun around to face Julius. He was radiating killer intent towards my Servant and me. I shuddered slightly. Archer stepped around me and stood between me and the man. His playful smirk from just seconds ago was replaced with a menacing scowl. Julius's unseen Servant cackled at the scene.

"It appears that our opponents are more resourceful than we originally thought. How about it boy? You ready for a second beating?"

"As if I'd fall for the same trick twice. I know all about it now."

My mind whirled as Archer explained about the enemy's attack. I wasn't focused on their conversation as I was more focused on the situation. We stood in the middle of the school and seemed to be ready to start a fight. I really couldn't risk a penalty this round. Luckily for me, Kotomine appeared just in time to stop the two Servants from going at it. His threats were taken seriously and we bid a temporary farewell to Julius. I sighed in relief once both Julius and Kotomine were gone.

"Shall we head to the Arena Master?"

I gave my Servant a soft smile. "As long as you promise not to scare me like that again."

"I scared you?"

I felt my cheeks flush in embarrassment. "I-I mean what did you expect? You're not just my Servant Archer; you're my friend and I care about my friends."

"You care about me, huh?" Archer was suddenly in my personal space. I stared at the ground trying to get my emotions under control. That was hard to do with him that close and staring at me. Archer chuckled at my discomfort. He pulled away from me and muttered, "Another time then."

I stared at him in confusion. "Another time for what?"

He waved me off. "Never mind. We'll discuss it another day. We've wasted enough time as it is." He grabbed me gently by the hand and led me towards the Arena. "Let's go get that Trigger."

We walked towards the Arena. Archer was still holding my hand. My face flushed darker as I tightened my hand around his. He didn't seem to notice or if he did, he didn't mind. A soft smile graced my lips again. I wasn't going to let anything bad happen to him again. He might only be an Archer, but he was _my _Archer.

~xXxXx~

**DD 62: What exactly was Archer trying to do? Oh, who am I kidding? We all know what he was attempting to do. Poor Hakuno is too oblivious to understand. As always, reviews are welcome and appreciated.**


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